The Portland daily press., 1887-01-04
cETTYSB BURG.
Positions on that Famous Field that
Maine Must Mark.
A Duty that no State Legislature has
Yet Refused to Perform.

major ii. S. Melcher in Lincoln County News. ]
The petition that will be presented to the
Legislature this winter for an appropriation
by the State to enable the regiments and
batteries that participated in the battle of
Gettysburg to erect historical tablets, mark
ing the positions occupied by them. is one
that deserves favorable consideration.
1t is now generally conceded that at Get
tysburg was fought the battle that decided
the fate Of mighty nation, and that it
was the turning point in war the most i'm
portant in the history of the world.
The facilities for visiting it, and the un-
surpassed beauty of the situation and sur
roundings will make it, forever, the histori-
cal battlefield of the world. II will be visit
ed by all military men and careful students
Of history, as well as by thousands travelling
for pleasure and profit. This interest is al
ready shown by the increase in the number
of visitors, there having been $1,000 in 1885
and over 10000 in 1886.
The defeated Rebel army had scarcely dis
appeared beyond the hills west of the town,
when the study of the battle was begun, and
has since been diligently pursued, till now
the whole territory Of twenty hve square
BILE conflict ragged, has been carefully sur
veyed and the topography delineated on
government and private maps, and the po-
sition of every organization participating in
the battle Indicated.
The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Asso-
citation has acquired by purchase, and now
hold in fee simple, about 400 acres Of land
where our lines of battle were drawn during
the three days of battle and control some
40 acres more, purchased and owned by Gen.
rErw l,k.w
Wheat Field, where his. division Of Pennsyl-
vania Reserves did their heaviest fighting,
and this association has built some eight
miles Of avenues, which give easy access to
all parts of the battlefield along our whole
line. The natural and artificial defenses are
preserved in the same condition as left by
the army-not tree or rock is allowed to be
removed-whlle artillery, mounted on dura-
bic iron carriages, occupy the positions of
the prominent batteries during the battle.
The positions of regiments and batteries
are being rapidly marked by historical and
memorial tablets and m0numents-there be-
ing now in place on the field 20 regimental )
individual, general (the cavalry and Con-
federate cd Maryland, besides the grand
National monument; while during the next
year Ohio will erect 10 monuments, New
Jersey Is, Vermont IL and New York 90-to
mark the position Of her 92 organizations
participating in the battle q already having
been built, or build one grand monument
with regimental markers.
A movement will be started before the
Pennsylvania legislature this session, for an
appropriation for each OF her regiments and
batteries, which will no doubt succeed.
No legislature has yet refused to grant
such request, and so general has this work
become that the neglect Of any State to prop
erly mark the positions of her organizations
is painfully conspicuous.
Considering the very prominent position:
occupied by the Maine troops, and the bril-
| liant and effective fighting done by such o.
| them as were engaged. the State cannot az
| ford to refuse to make an appropriation SUI
| ticient to enable her organizations to suitably
| mark their positions.
This State was represented i'm that battle
| by the 1st regiment ofcayalry, Hall I'd, Ste
vens's 9TH and Dow's 9th batteries, tn,
Sd. 4th 9Th, 9th, 7th, 10th, 18th, 18th and 20tl
regiments and the 10th battalion Of infantry
| all Of which performed their duty with cred
| it to themselves and to their State, and a
| only brave and loyal men could, as the terri
| BILE losses of those engaged give such un
| mistakable evidence. Their deeds are to-
well known to require further mention il
| this connection.
None of the positions of these II regiment
and batteries, prominent along the who'll
line of battle. are permanently marked. ex
| cept that of the Goth regiment on Littl
Round Top-by fine monument Of Main
| granite, erected by the private contribution
| OI tue SURVIVORS Oh lue IeSllneuJ anu tncl
| friends, but the position on Round Top-ad
yanced to and occupied during the night fol
lowing the fight on Little Round Top-a
prominent and requiring more courage +
| possess than the first, should also be per
manently marked, which can be done by 1t
share Of the appropriation from the State
when it is made.
With these conspicuous positions, occupies
by the regiments and batteries from Maine
marked with suitable monuments, bearin
inscriptions briefly stating the part pei
formed by them, without which the histor
of the battle is not complete, visitors to tina
historic field in all the ages to come, woul
know that the sons of the far-away Pine Ire
State, did bravely and well their part wit
their comrades from the II other loyal State:
who stood side by side with them in that tel
rible ordeal, human wall as firm as th
hills of New England, the last and only ban
rier between the confident hosts Of Rebe
lion and a subjugated North; and hurle
them back in triumph.